Cut the Crap in 2014

Not a nice title for today’s blog, but frankly, it’s about time someone said these things.

A lot of talk today is in error of fact. This includes religious and political views as well as opinions on a multitude of topics. Much of this talk is not factual. It often is not accurate theology or even factual by academic standards. Church people who believe the Bible is literally true and therefore offer their profound judgments on everyone else when the Bible and the church specifically preach no judgments, is an example. Even the new Pope asks, “Who am I to judge?”  With those words behind us here are the issues that become settled:

1. Abortion is an act of conscience and most private; you live your life according to your beliefs and allow everyone else to do the same. This means no laws restricting abortions or the private lives of women and their reproductive rights.
2. Marriage is both a matter of religion and state concern; both institutions (religion and government) have the right to sanction marriage; only the government has the authority to license it. Thus, churches ought to continue marrying whomever they wish, but government of, by and for the people ought to license marriages between two people who love one another and wish to build a life together.
3. Governments license auto and gun ownership in addition to many other activities. These licensing regulations are designed to promote public safety and restrict ownership and use by those unfit for such. Therefore, gun registrations should be strictly designed and restricted to those people who are capable of handling the responsibility. Because death and disability is the design of guns, restrictions on them should be extremely heavy and meaningful.
4. The US Constitution serves Americans only. It was designed to ensure freedom, equality and equal access to all. Along with those freedoms abide responsibilities. Freedom of religion is not to be construed to restrict other people to live and act in total accordance with your religious beliefs. Religious Freedom means you are able to practice your beliefs in privacy of home and family as well as fellow believers. Refer to items 1 and 2, above, for clarification.
5. Freedom of Speech is yours to practice, however, be aware of consequences of your speech. No one else is obligated to believe your ideas, just respect your right to state them. If your ideas are hateful or incite public violence, you will be held responsible for it. Duck Dynasty does not have the right to enter private homes on public airwaves and do damage to public peace without paying the possible price of losing one’s job. Beware of your tongue and public civility!
6. Political Speech is speech just the same. It carries no special truth. It does carry the burden of keeping civil peace and order. Thus political speech needs to be scrupulously truthful or silent. Rhetoric of conservatives, Tea Party-ers and political parties will be discounted or silenced if civility and truth standards are violated. Voters ought to keep score to eliminate such fulminators from future discourse.
7. Being against something requires you to be for something. Criticizing is OK provided an offering of a reasonable alternative is promptly given. Else tongues should remain silent. Engage thought and innovation; then discuss and critique. But only then!
8. Sexual orientation is a matter of biology and psychology, perhaps other academic realms as well. No one knows for sure. It is not properly a religious issue, nor one of government policy other than constitutional guarantees of freedom and equal access to the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If you don’t understand homosexuality, then study and research the topic before offering your opinions. Otherwise keep silent on the topic!
9. Economics is not math. It is social science. It affects and is affected by public psychology, emotion and action/reaction. Understanding how economics works is important before you or any policy maker in government circles makes an edict. Nearly every statement concerning economics is in serious error. No wonder so much nonsense is spewed in public on this topic. Know your stuff or keep your mouth shut please!
10. News organizations using public airwaves or public infrastructure must pass rigid standards of truth before issuing their reports. ‘Obamacare’ is a pejorative term meant to politicize the debate over public healthcare insurance access. Forcing public attention on Sarah Palin is an oxymoron. Same with Rand Paul. Just because they have public followers does not make them newsworthy. Get over it and get serious. The news ought not to be for sale or for ratings.

With these important improvements to public discourse I expect civility to be massively better. May we all experience this quality of life standard in plenty during 2014.

December 31, 2013

Finding Peace

This season of year-end is a time to pause and find peace among the noise and chaos of modern life. Or any life, for that matter! From a website entitled ‘Lessons Learned in Life’ comes this simple but profound statement:

“Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.”

Good advice, right? How often do we think forgiveness is an act of our generosity toward another person who we think has done us wrong? In fact it is us being generous to ourselves! We are letting go of the resentment we have felt. Getting to the place where we can let the matter drop completely from our obsession is that place we finally find peace, at least from that matter! There is much more to forgive. Forget. Let be. Only then will you shed those cares which burden without value.

Of a similar vein and a natural benefit of forgiveness is this thought:

            “Appreciate what you have before it turns into what you had.”

                                                ~Solitary Reaper

Memories are one aspect of life. Hopes are another. One is in the past and the other is of the future. But the present; what about the present? It is with us only for a moment. How do we treat it? How difficult is it? Comparing it with the past or the hopes for the future? Do we allow the present to be, just BE? Taking pleasure in the now is wonderful; learning how to do so takes patience and ‘training’.  We are not aware of either – patience or training to appreciate the present. Were we ever taught these things? I doubt it.

Contemplating the present calls forth a list of things we are dissatisfied with: our incomes, or the unpaid bills, or the repair awaiting our time and attention, or the chores left undone, or…well, you see what I mean. Will we find that perfect blouse, or shirt, or pair of shoes? Will we be able to attend that family gathering? Will I be healthy enough to enjoy the play, or concert or outing we have planned? Will I let go of the tensions so I can relax and enjoy the moments ahead?

This is hard work. It takes conscious effort unless you are one of those people who are carefree and happy go lucky. There are those who naturally live in the present. They are very fortunate.

The rest of us usually are obligated to plan and prepare for future happenings. Perhaps it is just our schedule so we have the time to fulfill another obligation; or maybe it is preparing for retirement, or saving for the kids’ college education, or buying the best health insurance so proper health care is never far away. Planning and preparation are good things to do. But they can become obsessive to the point that we forget the present.

Longing for the past is another obsession to shed. Value the past is OK. Longing for it, adoring it, is quite another matter.

So much of what matters in life are simple things staring us in the face. We make such a big deal over other things that we miss the best things. Right there in front of our noses. Like character, really. Have you ever thought how we have striven to build character either in our selves or our children? When all along, character is something else entirely.

This quote was on the internet the other day:

            “Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you.”

                                                            ~Anonymous

Basic. Down to earth. Easily measured.

How do we treat others who can’t do anything for us? Do we ignore them? Do we see through them as apparitions? Or are we reminded that someone in need is a neighbor we need to care for? Just as we would want them to care for us were we in need!

I heard something like that before in my life! I just wonder were it was, or from whom I heard it? Do you suppose I’ll ever remember?

December 30, 2013

Thought for the Day

Acceptance. For who you are. What you are. What will be, as well. Appearances? That too. Think about it. And this:

“As you get older you will understand more and more that it’s not about what you look like or what you own. It’s all about the person you’you've become.”

                                                                        ~Author Unknown

In fact what you've become is still in the act of becoming. What will you be? Regardless of age?

Indeed.

December 28, 2013

Creaks

They began in the early morning. The creaks. Tiny sounds made audible. Little by little. Sleeping forms inert in their beds. Warm and toasty under covers and comforters. At first there was no alarm.

To the unaccustomed ear the creaks were invisible. A gurgle or hiccup from the baby’s room was another thing! Now there was an ear attuned! Mom could hear the slightest noise from the baby. Dad on the other hand, deaf to babes and audibles from older kids, had an ear that heard different sounds.

A drip. At 1:00 AM. A rumble from the basement, suspiciously near the furnace. Or a creak.

A creak? Yes. A creak!

Awake now he pulled himself from the warm bed feeling the instant chill. Cold actually. And heard the creak again. Hmmm.

Pulling on sweat pants and a thick over shirt, he walked noiselessly into the hall, listened intently, and slowly went down the stairs. Smelling now, feeling the cold banister, and hearing the creak again. On the first floor, bottom of the stairway. Entry hall, front door, cool air sweeping about his rapidly cooling body the mystery took shape.

The house was cool; too cool. Although the creak re-sounded, something else was becoming evident – a missing sound, a noise he now knew to be comforting, but missing!

The furnace was silent. Like a stone. Nothing but the creak. The damn creak!

The thermostat was next on the inspection circuit but no, no response. Inert and useless. Twirling the dial did nothing. No whump from the furnace below. No reassuring heat. No response. An elephant once thought friendly was now a lump of … of nothing.

Down to the basement. Fumbling for the light switch. Smelly basement. Ugly actually. Stumbled around in the near dark until the large dark shape was evident before him. Large and dark. And silent.

He kicked it. Nothing. Nothing but a creak. What was that sound? Why a creak?

The kick made a loud noise. It echoed through the house along all of the now cold heating ducts. Rumbled actually. Futilely, too. The kick of course did nothing. Only slight satisfaction and then only for a moment.

The thermometer read 52 degrees in the dining room. Outdoors the thermometer stood ominously at 12. Degrees. Bright moonlight. Heat radiating toward the moon, away from the house and the ancient furnace that stubbornly sat lumpily in the basement. Doing nothing.

Well. Now what. Mom stirred from the floor above. In with the baby. Then mumbles as she came downstairs wondering what was wrong.

It’s the furnace honey. It’s not working.

We had lived in the house for a little over 4 months. Moved in mid fall. Winterized the old house, re-installed the drafty old storm windows (wood wouldn't you know!) and tried to weather strip the doors. The baby came 6 weeks later. Then winter was encamped firmly, testing our old house and new, first time home owners and, more dicey, new parents.

He pulled out the Yellow Pages. Today’s young people barely recognize that term(!) but then it was the homeowner’s bible. Heating and air conditioning listing. Heaters. Furnaces. Furnace repairs—emergency phone number. He pounced on the phone and dialed the number (yes, dialed!). Seven rings later a gruff voice answered. Sleepy gruff, not mean gruff. It was now 1:40 AM. The voice said “yeah?”

The young homeowner tentatively stated the problem. No heat. Six week old baby in the house. Old place. What do I do now?

Gruff voice said he’d be right there. He was in the same town. Give him 15 minutes to dress and start the truck.

Mom made a pot of coffee, more to heat the kitchen than anything else, but also something to offer the repairman. The dad found some newspaper and kindling, grabbed a few logs and built a fire in the fireplace. Unknowingly the young homeowner was building a fire to heat the home but the chimney would suck the little heat available right out of the house. Gruff voice arrived. Told dad to let the fire burn out. Of little use anyway.

And so he tramped down into the basement. Bangs and rattles and other mysterious sounds marked his progress at fixing the problem. A half hour later a whump was heard, the smell of heated air rose lazily to the nose, finally a rumble and the blower was on. Warm air blew from the ducts and registers.

The thermometer rose now from 48 degrees slowly toward the goal of 68. The crisis was over. How many times would this repeat over the next few decades? In this same old house?

The thermocouple needed to be replaced. A simple job. A simple diagnosis. A quick resolution. He didn't know what a thermocouple was. But he learned fast. And every other year it was replaced in early fall. Just to be sure. To be sure not to be awakened by a mysterious creak!

Gruff voice was kindly. Gave a discount for his middle of the night call. He clearly understood the young couple’s plight. First time home owners. First time parents. Cold night and no heat. A furnace taken for granted but now a valued appliance to be cared for.

He asked gruff voice what the creaks were. Creaks? Oh; just the house cooling down. Wood shrinking, ducts contracting with falling temperatures. All very normal.

Now many decades later the creaks still sound. Just from another source having nothing whatever to do with furnaces and appliances!

December 27, 2013

Overcoming Ugly

With our eyes we see beauty. And ugly. With our ears we sense noise and pleasant sounds – purrs of kittens, mewling hummings and gurgles from babies, music that soothes ragged edges. With our feelings we know comfort and calm, tumult and chaos, love and nesting.

Encountering the tempo of daily routines and news, we are met with negative messages and images. What we do with those is in our power. We can do something with them that inspires, heals and improves upon them. We don’t have to accept them as ugly or destructive.

Poets made good thoughts happen in spite of war and pestilence. In place of sickness and death poets gave us soaring ideals. Historians searched for causation and logic. They inspired us with stories of leaders with vision who helped form great movements and whole new nations. Scientists who take a microscopic view of big ideas and discover whole new worlds of thought and possibilities.

All these souls overcame a negative. They propelled their lives toward something worthwhile, something that others would benefit from in sensation, value, or hope. Interesting, isn't it? Some people focus outside themselves. Steadily. Naturally. Most of their lives are shaped by this internal compass, always outward to something larger than the self. Perhaps we all do this in some way or another?

What impels some people to do this while others shrink into themselves with consequent scrunched futures? And what is the norm? What is expected and logical?

When I was quite small I remember idling in the back yard. Playing in the dirt. Wondering about grains of sand and clods of soil. Stones, too. How fresh they appeared. How normal. But what of trash and garbage. How does that affect the sand and soil and stones? How do we keep these good things safe and pure?

I don’t know why I thought those things. But I distinctly remember it that way. Later I wondered about keeping the air clean and pure to breathe. We lived in southern California and smog was a huge problem in the late 1940’s and early ‘50’s. Air pollution was a growing concern because it affected our breathing and health. Asthma. Allergies.

A ban on burning trash was one of the early regulations. Each home normally had an incinerator. It was an honorable chore in the family to take out the trash and burn it. But then millions of homes thus created smog and the practice was outlawed. So too was dumping paint, and chemicals in open lots. We had to find safer ways of disposing of our toxic garbage.

In California back then we worried about water supplies, keeping forests free from fire, and clean air. It was a sense of caring for our environment.

Moving east to New England there were no such concerns then. Plentiful water. Lots of fresh clean air. Thousands of square miles of woods and hills and nature. Pristine. Not trammeled like California. But surely there was a need to take care of our environment even there as well? No; not then. But yes now. We are all concerned.

It seems ugly comes from man’s inhabiting the earth. Careless inhabiting. Disposable inhabiting. Consumerist inhabiting.

Overcoming this ugly will take time. But first we have to see it. Recognize it.

When do you suppose this will be the new norm? Ever? Before it is too late?

December 26, 2013

What’s In A Window?

I know, I know! It’s Christmas Day and what’s with the window question? I’m not sure, myself, but this thought niggled at my mind this morning:

‘What’s in a window? Not ‘in’ the window, but more like out the window I think.’

Some background. I write. All sorts of things. Thoughts tumble out of my brain helter skelter. Some of those thoughts coagulate in a way that makes this blog possible. Some would argue that coagulate is not the perfect term to use here, but then there’s no accounting for taste, is there? Or maybe taste isn't the perfect term, either!  Oh well….

Someone recently told me that I write because I have to. Something is inside of me that demands an outlet and that takes the form of writing. And so it is. Lots of ideas that for some reason have an urgency to be expressed.

I am not sure I’ll ever know if this is a good thing or bad, or maybe even a mental quirk!! But write I do and I feel better for it. Order out of chaos, perhaps? Or maybe an insight that simply must be formed and expressed? I’m not sure why I write. I just do. And it feels right to me.

Now, back to the window thing.

We are facing a move to a new home. Circumstance demands this. We have no choice. The house is gone in foreclosure and short sale and bankruptcy. No tears here. Just reality. It has happened. Now to move on.  But where?

Many options exist. Some are reasonable and simple. Move to an apartment. Downsize our lives and move into a smaller place. Focus on who we are and what we want to do with the remainder of our lives. Let freedom ring in this process; do not allow struggle to limit our horizons.

This seems a simple way to handle it. But of course it is not simple.

What to do with the family memories? The multi-generation trove of family heirlooms and historical fragments? How do you give up a secretary desk that’s been in the family for 80 years? How to part with a plate with a 45-year memory? The photos of the kids, grandkids, first homes, travels to special places?  You know the drill. Moving sounds simple but it involves so much disruption.

Once I was a nomad, moving practically every year. Then I set down roots, stayed 23 years in one home, nearly 20 in the next one, and now, 42 years later, we are facing nomadic life again. Seems quite improbable.

So we visit apartments. Some have few windows. Others have large open patio doors. But what is missing? A view. A vista. A tree or planting that draws the eye and mind to new thoughts. Instead the view is of grilles and bumpers. Parking lots. Ice and salt piles encrusting the parking lot and cars. Ugly in winter. Hot and shimmering in the sunshine in stifling summer.

No this is not a vista. This is a specter. Not pleasant. Thunderously real. Gritty.

Perhaps that is the new reality of our lives? But then what of insight and inspiration to write thoughts of beauty and meaning? It is not what is in the window but what is out the window. What is the view? What is the feeling?

Once I lived in a high rise apartment building on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. One whole side of the apartment was an expanse of glass. Yes we looked immediately out into the view of another high rise, but with a small angle, we saw Lake Michigan far out, miles from shore. We saw thousands of cars traveling the Drive, and thousands of acres of park land lining the shoreline of the lake. It was beautiful. The lake shifted colors constantly as sun and clouds mingled and altered light values on the water. Trees and lawns offered an expanse of evolving vignettes affected by light and shadow. Those views outdoors drew me and my thoughts to far away places.

So, too, at my current home. The computer is beside a patio sliding door. I look out on trees, lawns and shifting images of nature. Squirrels, birds and chipmunks adorn these images. Companions with my writing. Drawing me outward toward another perspective of the world.

Not so with cave like apartments. Some are aesthetically negative, not bland, but actively destructive of beauty. A garbage dumpster, parking lot. An alleyway fence. Weeds. Cracked asphalt. Ugly. Reality. Not pretty. Jarring, really. Oppressive.

As we look for a new home we also look for a vista. A view that pulls us out of ourselves and toward something promising and possible. A new life. A new beginning. A new hope of tomorrows.

Just like Christmas. The hope and promise of new life and possibilities.

May this day be just that for you and yours! Let windows and hope rule your life.

December 25, 2013

Easy Does It

Middle of the night. Early morning, before dawn. Sometimes the sky is pitch black. Other times it is deepest midnight blue with a tinge of purple. Moments later dawn defines itself, emergent in slight degrees of brightening sky. Still very dark. But a hint.

Then a pinkish glow announces the coming daybreak. And orange. Such orange, barely free from magenta.

A new day has dawned. To us it is easy. To nature…well it’s natural, but one still  wonders how difficult the work to unveil a new day!

Writing is like that. Emerging thought. Sentence stumbles along then a more defined thought comes forward. And another. Soon a paragraph shapes itself and a new essay is rambling along under its own steam.

Pretty soon a posting for the blog is complete and off it goes to whomever is interested. One wonders at times who these people are! But I do not dwell on that long. I’m just grateful there are readers who are curious or care. They are there to read my words. Words that come from the ether like magic. I wonder at times who is writing them; certainly not me!

Easy does it. Yes. Easy is the key. Open up the mind. Let ideas dwell and form. Then allow them to spill out. Like a musician who scats a line of notes free form, and lyrics that spring forth on their own. In a moment or two the groove takes over and the rest of the ‘conversation’ rolls out. To be heard. To feel. To be completed by the hearer, really.

Expressions from an artist are like that. A ceramic bowl comes slowly into being. It’s shape bulges and softens, flares in another direction until its statement is complete. As it dries adornment pulses from its surfaces. The artist sculpts another layer of expression on the piece. Then it is bisque fired. The shape and surface features are set. Glazing is next and the final firing of course.

Through hours and days and maybe weeks the pot enters maturity. Finally the kiln opening begs a peek! The unveiling is near. And then! The pot is brought into light. Color wells up and shines beauty. Sculpted features leap from the surface. But the shape, oh the shape. Comfortable. Touchable. Somehow familiar of an age long ago. Others have seen this shape in eons past. Human expression repeats itself without a record. It is a fulfillment of mankind’s tongue on the passage of time.

Expression must be loosed. Like a sigh evoked by the beauty of a fresh day’s sky. Or the first view of the Grand Canyon. The sigh is voluntary. We have no control over it. It must be freed to be heard. And felt.

Art. All art. Visual and performing. Aural and movement. Begs to be experienced. To be felt.

Not noise. Not din. But quiet. Contemplation. Soothing. Heartfelt sensing.

May your holiday season be of such peace and thoughtful comfort. Perhaps your inner artist will be brought forth?

December 24, 2013

Gay Away

In Russia the 2014 Winter Olympics will be scarred by insensitivity, hate, politics and shenanigans. All based on playing a game with the issue of gay people. Russia, mostly Putin, has trumped up an anti-gay fire storm in his country probably for the sole reason that it makes him look strong to his people, gains him political support, and postures him to be anti-American at the same time. Another issue that brings him power. Frivolous but power oriented.

Bringing marriage rights to gay couples in America is used as a wedge issue between conservatives and every one else. Mainline churches in the United States – Catholic, Jewish, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Mormon – you name it and that church, religion or denomination is against gay issues in some manner or other. There are those that don’t play this game, chief among them the United Church of Christ – Congregational. But the numbers of churches pressing for equality of treatment and justice for gay people is pitifully small. And many don’t press at all. They say they are for loving people wherever they are, however they are. But the din of vile expressions pour forth from others without church comment.

Politicians in Texas (need I mention they are republicans?) are attempting to stymie anything that looks like it is pro-gay. Never mind justice, equality, balance, or the Bill of Rights.

Rights. Freedom of speech. We each have that freedom in America. But wait! That freedom has consequences. The Duck Dynasty controversy is such an example. You can have opinions. You can even express those thoughts and opinions. But no one said you could do so without consequences.

If your speech is hate-based and I’m the target – direct or inferred – then you may lose an audience, a job, a friend, or even a family member. The consequences may hurt you. Just like your speech hurt someone else.

Freedom is yours to practice. So are we free to deliver consequences. It is part of the formula of justice. The pendulum don’t you know? It swings its arc to and fro delivering balance in test swings. So the rest of us can weigh your expression and give judgment on its worth, its fairness and its allowance of freedom to others.

Duck Dynasty is a symbol. It is not religious freedom or speech freedom. It is trash talk designed to demean other people. Swagger. Self importance. Belittling and bullying. People do it because they think they can get away with it. They also feel bigger and better than those they demean. It is part of feeling superior. It is a real means of feeling personal power.

But why must they do it this way? What is it they fear? The evil they speak of is surpassed by the evil of their own expression. They miss this. They don’t seem to realize they have cheapened themselves. Until a firestorm of reaction occurs. Then they hope to stem the negative tide by claiming personal freedom.

Oh but the rest of us have the same freedom! To push back. To say Halt! Be bigger than yourself! Love the other as yourself. That’s part of your religious belief isn't it? Isn't that what the Bible states in pure and simple language? Isn't that what Jesus preached?

Love your neighbor as your self. And love God as He loves you. 

Pretty simple really. Duck Dynasty, how did you miss this central point?

December 23, 2013

Thought for the Day

Justice is our topic today. Please ponder this quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.:

“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”

And so generations of Americans did little to solve this injustice. Now we are. Attending to it. At least trying to. And what is the result thus far?

You know the answer to that. So what are we to do now?

Think on it. Share your thoughts. Please!

December 21, 2013

‘Tis the Season

It’s the Holidays, or is that holidays?  It depends of course on your commitment and religious loyalty. Are you Christian at Christmas Time and something else later in the year? Or are you a Christian year round? Are you religious at all, or a spiritualist, an atheist, or whatever?

Jonathan Swift, an Irishman who rose to lofty heights in England’s high church, was a satirist and religious author. He lived from 1667 to 1745. This quote is surprising for its boldness yet truth considering his role in the Church of England:

“We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.”

Now that’s a statement that should awaken thought! Recall please, that America opulently claims it is Christian but there is much argument to the opposite claim. If you doubt me, here are a few founding father quotations:

            Ben Franklin: “Lighthouses are more useful than churches.”

                                   “The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.”

“In the affairs of the world, men are saved not by faith, but by the lack of it.”

John Adams: “This would be the best of all possible worlds if there were no

 religion in it.”

Thomas Paine: “Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is

                          The  worst.”

“ I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, by  the Roman Church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish Church, by the Protestant Church, or by any Church that I know of. My own mind is my own Church. Each of those churches accuse the other of unbelief, and for my own part, I disbelieve them all.

How do those quotes make you feel? Did you realize our forefathers were such universalists in philosophy and theology?  They were certainly not Christian in the sense we use the term today. No. They were thinkers who had come to the New World intent on avoiding the missteps of Europe. In their mind it was one thing to ensure freedom of religion than to be a follower of religion itself. It was one thing to practice religion in your home and another to practice it in public. Certainly not in the halls of government!

Absolutely not! Government and religion were not to combine in any way whatsoever.

And yet in 2013 we have religions dictating abortion laws, alcohol and smoking use, values education, scientific inquiry, intelligent design arguments, and a whole lot more.

It doesn't belong, folks. It doesn't belong in the government design set by our forefathers.

Once free from this distraction of enormous proportions, we can finally get down to the business of governing. I saw this quote from the internet the other day that fascinated me. Perhaps it will for you as well.

“Instead of figuring out who to blame, figure out how to make something happen. It’s not only more productive, it feels a lot better, too.”

                                                ~Paul S. Boynton of Begin with Yes

Yes. Let’s get back to doing productive things. We have problems. Lots of them. They need our attention to lessen their toll on fellow citizens. Their solution will improve quality of life, fulfillment of social justice, and just plain doing the right thing. Doing that will give us all more personal time to practice our religious beliefs in our own homes and families. Away from others. Just for yourself and loved ones. Like it was meant to be.

December 20, 2013

Health Insurance Options

This is a politically charged issue. Conservatives don’t think government should be involved in this consumer decision. Liberals think standards and consumer protection are important. Of course opinions vary widely and track closely with various variables of political ideology.

Me? I take a simple approach. Here’s the argument.

I see doctors and have medical issues. As I age those issues become more critical and require attention. This takes medicines, doctor office visits and occasional lab work and hospital visits. Overall my health is stable. Inconvenient but stable! Not a whole lot different from anyone else my age. Your body ages and you adjust to the new normal!  Pretty simple.

The trouble comes when paying for the medical attention. In previous times you paid insurance premiums, you paid the doctor bill once received and the insurance benefits had been paid. Later the bills got larger, much larger; and insurance payments became much more relied upon.

Eventually the partnership between insured, doctor and insurance carrier became overly complex and medical providers worked directly with the insurance companies. As time progressed expenses soared as new technologies were brought to medical practices. Medical care became hugely more expensive. Insurance premiums soared. Employer costs were increasingly shared with employees. Finally the government got involved because many people were being excluded from adequate medical care, and employers wanted to shift rising costs for insurance to someone else. Anyone else.

Politicians entered the conversation. Ideologies revved up. And now we have a political slug fest that avoids the real issues.

Affordable health care accessible for most people if not all.

Private insurance carriers seek to avoid risk to protect profits. That is their motive. Medical providers seek to deliver health care consistent with their Hippocratic oath, but also to preserve their operating profits! Doctors are getting lost in this discussion because increasingly they do not own their practices or hospitals in which they perform their services. Medical groups are the management darlings of modern day health organizations. And hospitals are now owned by investor groups seeking to do business as non-profit agencies for tax advantages while protecting profits and capital accumulation.

Politicians are not owners in these professions. But they do have something to sell – power and influence in exchange for legislative coddling that protects investors while shifting the entire cost burden to the public as individual citizens and as deep pocket ‘owners’ of government units.

It is easy to see how we got into this mess.  But wait, the story gets worse!

A politician saw a way out of this by designing a role for the federal government. It would protect the major players in the medical profession AND protect insurance carriers while lowering the costs to all through centralization and standardization. The politician is Barack Obama and the solution is the Affordable Care Act.

Problem is other politicians didn't want any one person to get credit for fixing the huge problem. So they turned the Affordable Care Act into a political football so complex as to make it a liability in any form it took. That’s right; congressmen added more tweaks and clauses to the Act before passage that they could slap blame on any aspect of the program should it fail, yet gain recognition for success if that were even possible.

Such were the antics of politicians of old when the federal income tax law was first implemented. Same for Social Security and Medicare. Opponents to those legislations were everywhere. Against their wishes the enactments survived. They provided much needed benefits then and yet today.

I think the Affordable Care Act will be seen similarly in time. But first we have to get it fully implemented and then tweaked and improved. It will take time.

Meanwhile, the complainers and political hacks need to be ignored. The media has sided with the complainers because it makes good news copy for their ratings. But is their coverage accurate and fair to the public?  Most likely not.

So what to do? Live with ACA as best you can for the short term. Insist that improvements and corrections be made when the needs become known. Keep a cool head and keep living your life while others attempt to do the right thing.

Currently the right thing to be done is a crap shoot because of unfair interference.  And politicians wonder why we hold them in such low esteem! Truth is, they get away with it because too many of us are too stupid or lazy to understand the issues and vote intelligently. If we kept our elected officials truly accountable, we wouldn't have this problem.

Oh well! I've done my bit. And I've shared it, too. What are you doing about it?

December 19, 2013

Energy Efficiency

We are about to move into an all-electric apartment. That means cooking, space heating and water heating are all accomplished by electric energy. Same with air conditioning. This will be our first time living in an all electric home. I’m a worrier so I’m concerned about the electric bill.

The leasing agent called the power company and they told her our apartment cost about $105.50 per month for the previous tenant. I had budgeted $50 for gas and $75 for electric and was surprised that the all electric home would be less costly. Still I worried!

I wondered why a landlord or investor in an apartment building would choose all-electric rather than a blend of electric and gas. Although it is understandable a building owner would be most concerned with property and life safety, quality of life and national energy standards should be a concern as well in my opinion. Or is it?

Safety: an electrical fuel source eliminates gas explosions from fire and disaster calculations. Electrical fires are still possible but usually only from deteriorating or faulty wiring. Open flame cooking is eliminated by electric stoves and ovens.

Investment in physical plant: electric appliances are less expensive than other energy sourced units, and last longer with fewer moving parts. Depreciation costs are less as well.

However, when energy costs are contemplated efficiency and cost effectiveness standards are starkly different. If the landlord pays for energy use, it would pay to determine use-costs combined with original equipment purchase, maintenance and replacement costs. Most likely energy efficient equipment is likely to be less expensive overall. However, if the investor does not pay for operations of the equipment, it is the tenant who is stuck with the bill!

Quality of life should be an issue for housing providers.  Humidity levels of ambient indoor air are much lower than gas heat furnaces or heaters. Gas heating equipment normally relies on air circulation from fans and provides opportunity to filter the air at the same time.

At this point I searched Google for more answers and came up with a surprise. You guessed it! All electric homes are less expensive to operate than one energized by gas and electric appliances. When technology is added to the matrix I learned that electric cooking with induction units is actually safer, cheaper and faster than gas stoves.

Electric base board heating is less noisy than gas. Of course an electric forced air furnace cancels that comparison. Electric heat is drier than gas heat but then a humidifier is easily added in either situation to address that issue. And so it goes. With each question and assumption I learned there are answers that surprised me. My assumptions did not prove to be true!

So I’m looking forward to experiencing the all-electric environment to see for myself. I’ll keep you posted on the results!!

As a kid we moved from southern California to western Massachusetts. In New England homes were heated by oil furnaces, gas was not commonly available for stoves and electric appliances were more the norm. Although that may have changed in the past 60 years (you think?) my dad moved east to take a new job with General Electric. Of course their mantra was ‘all-electric homes’ and dad thought that was a good idea. Especially when he got his first winter’s oil bill!  However, New England was slow to accept gas heat and cooking because the rock-ribbed landscape made gas line installations expensive. In California, then the home of oil wells and natural gas transmissions, gas heating and cooking were the norm.

The juxtaposition of geography and technology over time has changed perceptions and experience. Certainly the all-electric home is more convenient and less expensive to buy and outfit. Now I only need to see how it works in practice to determine if all the rest of my assumptions were baseless!

We shall see.

December 18, 2013

Revaluations

A lifetime of activity finds us falling in love, having families, buying homes, improving homes and establishing a life style. Our jobs make this possible. Salaries and wages provide the income flow to pay bills, save, and create investments that allow us to buy bigger homes, nicer cars, and fancier clothes. In time we find more leisure time for trips, dining out, entertaining and generally expanding our circle of friends.

Style of living. Standard of living. The many pieces of our lives fit together. Things work out and life is good.

Then something happens to change all that. maybe it is a challenging illness with long-term consequences. Perhaps our ability to earn a comfortable living has been reduced and income declines. Maybe a job is lost and it takes a long time to find another job that replaces a good chunk of our past earnings. Meanwhile some bills were left unpaid or payments made late. It takes months, maybe even a year to catch up and learn how to live with the new financial realities.

Maybe the death of a breadwinner has knocked the family finances for a loop. Or maybe, you aged and your career ebbed, new industries arrived on the scene and not only your job is in peril but your entire industry is disappearing, too!

If some or all of the above occurs while a recession occurs then a world of hurt is not only in store for you but many others as well. A general economic downturn will challenge norms throughout the economy. Life styles will change. Some may never return.

2007 was something different. A recession began without many actually realizing it. A year or two later economic analysis made it clear. The US was deeply involved in a recession, perhaps of historic dimension. In fact it turned to be an historic economic collapse. It will be long studied and probed to guide future public policy, but here is a snapshot of what all went wrong. No attempt is made here to cast blame or determine the order of happenings that created the mess or made it worse. For now it is enough to realize the components of the melt down America experienced from 2007 to 2014. Also the global economy suffered through the same problems at the same time. Global markets were linked and thus the shared economy suffered similar pains.

The housing industry experienced a major boom-bubble and it collapsed. Mortgage markets collapsed globally; investment banking and stock markets collapsed under the enormity of the interrelated collapse. Banking organizations suffered through major revaluations of their balance sheets and the value of their customers’ deposits.

Real estate agents and brokers lost their businesses. Mortgage companies disappeared. Huge insurance companies lost their fortunes and had to re-establish the basis of their businesses.

Investment banks and stock brokerages disappeared in droves, even huge firms. Years later these two industries rebuilt but in different shapes and formats.

Manufacturing declined as economic activity dropped to historic lows. Meanwhile manufacturing processes took a major turn in technology and jobs were erased as robots and material engineering changed the very face of making goods.

The Internet culture combined with all of the above to change how consumers shop and purchase goods. Small retail outlets disappeared at a faster rate, and malls surprising did so as well.

As unemployment soared finding a new job was a major task for millions of households. The career landscape had changed, however, and unemployed had to learn to redefine themselves, their careers and their expectations. Salaries and wages were vastly lower than what they had earned in previous jobs.

As I have encountered much of these currents of change, I have arrived at some tentative conclusions:

1. Careers have been redefined; all of us will need to change to fit in with the new normal.
2. Personal incomes have been calculated to lower norms. Life styles and living standards will need adjustment to live within the new household standards.
3. Housing standards will be reduced to smaller homes, fewer amenities, higher efficiency standards and higher density of land use. All of these elements define the new affordability matrix of housing.
4. While all of us adapt to these changes, many dislocations will occur: in our neighborhoods, schools and education goals, housing standards, transportation means and standards, retirement options, social interaction of a more diverse population, and expectations of quality of life.

In the past economic blips were limited in scope. This time changes are huge and long lasting. I don’t think we will return to normal. I think we are witnessing a new normal taking shape.

The sooner we adapt to these challenges the sooner we will learn how to make the best of the opportunities that all problems offer us.

This is another way of asked if the glass is half empty or half full. The reality may be the same but the attitude will make all the difference on how well we each weather the storms of change.

December 17, 2013

Crunchy Cold

The snow squeaked with each step. The roll of the tires on the driveway did the same. Wisps of vapor curled from my nose when standing still but gushed like a steam engine while walking.

It was a cold day. Near zero degrees. Barely a breeze stirred the frozen tree branches. Not even a creak!

January morning. Stark. Cold. With a bite. On the prairie only in town! Still cold, just not so lonely.

On trips I noticed steep driveways in other regions of the country. California is a fond memory. I loved wondering what the tree shadowed driveways were like, what sort of home and yard were hidden from view. Later as I became familiar with snow and ice in New England and upstate New York, I thought of those driveways and wondered how people would climb them in bad weather?!

Of course such driveways were plentiful in the east, but driveways were built with winter in mind. Either slopes were made gentler or garages were built into the side of the hill eliminating the steep drive entirely. More ambitious driveways were built for fair weather only so deliveries could be made to the kitchen door. In summer those pathways were intriguing. Comforting. A nestling into nature.

Here in the Midwest we don’t think on this subject much. They don’t call us flatlanders for nothing!

No, we have it fairly easy. The trouble comes when snows are steadily driven by strong winds blowing across roads into drifts, or when passing cars beat the snow into icy surfaces glaring menacingly in the headlights. Even then we know to look for it. We drive accordingly, by the clues around us.

Winter reminds us of basic things. Warmth. Shelter. Moist aromas of food preparations. Steam spiraling from chimneys. Birds flitting from stiff branch to stiff branch seeking a lonely berry not yet tasted by other creatures. Survival. Exercise. Feeling good. Vital.

Winter focuses our attention on the indoors. We seek cozy. Such are not our thoughts in July! Cozy. Togetherness. Nesting with a dog or cat on the lap. Maybe a fire crackles in the fireplace. Glad to be together indoors.

Another side of cold weather that has its attractions, even if we don’t ski.

Four seasons have an allure. They remind us of the variety in life. Challenges with many rewards if we but look for them.

Enjoy the cold weather. The hot and sticky times are only a few months away!

December 16, 2013

Thought for the Day

Keep it simple. Focus on what’s important.  Here’s a lesson from Winston Churchill:

“When Winston Churchill was asked to cut arts funding in favour of the war effort, he simply replied, ‘then what are we fighting for’?”

                                                                                                -Citation Unknown

I like this quote because it reminds me of the value of art in my life. I will think on that this weekend. But what might you focus your attention on?

December 14, 2013

PS: A shout out to my son John on his 39^th birthday!!

A Perfect Gift?

In this season of gift giving we often scratch our heads at the options open to us. What really stumps us, though, is selecting the gift that ‘fits’ the recipient. What does she or he really want, or better yet, what do they need? What would give them more than a moment of pleasure, but rather a boost in their thinking, feeling and creativity? In other words, what could we possibly give another person that would enable them to be more than what they are at this moment? Or feel their special-ness

Maybe I’m over thinking this! A gift is supposed to acknowledge a sentiment we have for a person at a special time: anniversary, birthday, celebration of achievement, special holiday. But doodads are plentiful for those moments. I’m talking about another dimension of gift giving.

In years past I admit to giving things that I would like to have received, or fads that suggested popular selections. I guess I addressed gift giving as a task to be managed. How many things must I get, and where can I find them, for how much cost, and how quickly can I accomplish all of this?  Sometimes I began Christmas shopping early, in September, certainly by October! In recent years I still finish early but my list is much shorter!

These days I still work at finding the right item, but with strict cash limits practical issues make the job easier and shorter.

Unlike past years when sheer volume was a goal – you know, swamp the recipient with a lot of items so they don’t notice that thought behind the gift was sometimes a little weak! – recent years have a focus on appropriateness and special meaning.

Over the years we can recall a few gifts received from others that hold special memories. Maybe it was a tie that connected with us, or a hand-made sweater, mittens or socks? Something very personal. I remember a sweater vest made by my 90-year old grandmother. Half blind and suffering several debilitating health conditions, she still found the energy to make things for her many grandkids scattered across the nation. I held on to that sweater years longer than it fit. Just to remember her. Just to remember a connection to her.

When the kids were young we worked hard to find gifts that we knew were passages for them from one age to another. The right toy – big or small – or the gender related item that guided him or her into the past times appropriate for their age and interests – play kitchens, play tools or shops – you know the sort of things. Dolls certainly. Games as well.

As adults the job seems more complicated. We cannot always give a family heirloom to a loved one, or a precious piece of jewelry either. Perhaps an experience would serve well – like a visit to a spa, or a special dinner out, or a concert by an iconic performer? Maybe a play would do. Or a getaway weekend. Time together, just the two of you.

I remember when kids we provided ‘gift certificates’ of services for our parents – so many hours of house cleaning or detailing the car. Those were valued, not because of the offered services themselves, but the acknowledgment that we needed to make those contributions to the family from time to time.

Appropriateness. What is the right thing for a specific person?

It depends. How much does the act of giving tell the other person that you are glad they are a part of your life? Perhaps that is the question we should be asking. The answers may surprise.

Sometimes just telling them that is all that is needed.

December 13, 2013

Cause and Effect?

It was quiet in the church. Sparsely attended, too. Then a whisper came to me from a man sitting six feet away. He said, “The snow falls far from the cloud.” Puzzled, I shrugged my shoulder in question toward him. He pointed to the ceiling (or sky I guess) and repeated his whisper: “the snow falls far from the cloud.”

At that time the processional hymn sounded and the congregation stood to sing. Our whispered/gestured exchange was interrupted until after the worship service.

After the service we gathered for coffee and greeting. The whisperer was no where to be seen. I looked in adjacent rooms but still did not spot him.

For days his message – the snow falls far from the cloud – remained with me. It haunted my thoughts and eventually ebbed from memory.

I had never encountered this phrase in the Bible or tomes of philosophy. Nor in volumes of poetry. My search continued for years. The niggling memory of the whisper set my mood upon entering church services for a long time. Still does!

Over the years I felt sure I had learned what the phrase meant. Later I doubted my certainty. It continued to cast shadows for a very long time. Finally, I came to an inner agreement on its meaning. I share it with you now.

The snow falls far from the cloud is an analogy. It refers to the scattered flight of snowflakes, their falling and drifting far from their origin, carried by wind currents miles and miles from their source. The analogy connects with cause/effect/result in that what happens is the result of some other action that also had a referent cause. An example:

A nation at war relies on its military personnel to wage the actions of war. The events contained within the war have an effect on the military personnel. Those effects are carried throughout the life of the fighting man and woman, shaping ideas, emotions, and reactions. The outcome of those lives are not always pleasant. Think about this statement found at www.facebook.com/TugsArt:

“One serviceman waking up homeless on Christmas morning is a tragedy. Hundreds of them is a disgrace.”

This is not a political statement in my opinion. It is a statement of the reality of war and its cost to the men and women who are called upon to serve in it. Unintended consequences of wartime service are very real. When the battles are done and history has had time to define the results, real human beings continue to live with the physical and mental scars of their efforts. Those scars have deep roots.

I recall meeting a very bright guy at a coffee counter – Dunk’in Donuts – early mornings before work. He and others gathered each day to drink good coffee and read the paper. Then we discussed what we had read and learned to laugh at the foibles and tragedies of the news. This particular fellow was serious minded, deep thinking, and usually quite adept at crafting statements that stuck with me through the day. His name was Charlie.

Several times over ensuing months Charlie was absent from our coffee klatch. One day I asked if anyone knew what was keeping Charlie from our morning brew fests. The answer: he had serious health issues caused by mental anguish acquired during the Viet Nam War. It turned out Charlie was college educated, drafted into the Army in the mid-1960’s, was shipped to Viet Nam and was trained as a medic on a helicopter crew assigned to evacuate the injured, dying and dead.

Charlie was a poet before his service in Viet Nam. After his stint he was a philosopher searching for answers. Answers that would give him peace from cradling injured servicemen he was taking from battle to the MASH units. All too often those injured men died in his arms screaming in terror and pain.

It changed Charlie. His life was no longer his own. It now belonged to the terror of those lost lives he witnessed in final moments.

Charlie never held a job. He never went on to graduate school. He lived out his life in a low income apartment subsidized by both the Veterans’ Administration and his dad. And then his brother. Until finally Charlie could take no more pain and ended his life with an overdose of pain killers and anti-depressants.

The snow falls far from the cloud. That statement now has clear meaning to me.

Nelson Mandela had something more upbeat to offer:

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

God I hope most of us respect and enhance the lives of others. As much as we can. The Charlies among us deserve that outcome for their sacrifice.

December 12, 2013

Age Old Thoughts

Today’s title is about those ideas humans have wondered about throughout the ages. And I bet you thought I was going to dwell on aging!  Tsk! Tsk!

With Nelson Mandela’s passing we are confronted by many of his comments passed down to us as on a golden tray. Here is one:

“Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.”

This is not a stunning idea. It is Mandela’s observation. Poverty is a created condition. There are those who benefit from the condition; earn great wealth from it. Out of the sufferings of others. And power. Lots of power comes from manipulating or using the people, their underpaid labor, their indentured labor, even.

Poverty may not have been an intended condition, but once at hand, its value becomes clear to those not of goodwill.

Black Elk (1863-1950), an Oglala Lakota medicine man, had this to say about white man’s culture:

“I could see that the white man did not care for each other the way our people did…They would take everything from each other if they could…some…had more of everything than they could use, while crowds of people had nothing at all…This could not be better than the old ways of my people.”

Think about the wide open spaces of the early days of our continent, at least those days when early America was forming and expanding throughout the open lands. Survival in the woods or on the high plains, or on the deserts of the far west, people banded together. Same in Daniel Boone’s days, and Lincoln’s. Communities began as settlements, two families on neighboring farms, then a black smith, a retail trader in daily commodities needed by most people to survive…they cooperated with one another.

So did tribes. But there were few tools or stored commodities. Few clothing racks, either, or closets and storehouses filled with inventory to be used as needed. No. Such goods were made as needed. Small stores of commodities – corn, seed, dried herbs – were kept by nomads in pottery vessels or tightly woven baskets. These stores were small and for the family unit. The goods were shared for meals and celebrations at gatherings. Together they survived and built small villages. And expanded villages. Then tribes. And regional tribes. Even confederations of tribes. Bonding together to improve stability of living conditions. Improved living conditions.

Native Americans lived on the land and from the land. Basic reality. And they did it together. They relied on one another.

Then western European immigrants arrived on the shores of the ‘New World’ and assumed ownership. Their ways were different. In a new land with few goods counted as wealth, these settlers did for themselves and also settled into small villages. But their attitude was different: the worked for a vision of their own future.

The Native American lived for a bond with nature and the great beyond.

Fundamentally a different way of seeing the self in the world, the universe. That different-ness is all-important.

Why do we exist? How did we come about? To what purpose are out struggles? What is the great objective? Who created us? And why?

The age old questions. Age old answers or stabs at answers! The philosophies of centuries and the theologies, too. All these ideas have been bandied about from the beginning of time. What is Man’s story on this planet? What is our purpose for living? And how well have we done with it all?

I was at an impromptu gathering the other day. Ostensibly we were there to say thanks and goodbye to a man who has labored in the midst of our community running a family restaurant. John is a nice man. A gentle man. Giving and hospitable. Through thick and thin he provided a welcome spot for the rest of us to gather and share a food of table mixed with talk of families, friends, and community.

In short John is a loved person of our community. And he is retiring and leaving our scene. Oh, another person has bought the restaurant and so far is learning how and why this place has become so important to our village life. I think she will do well with the eatery. All the good signs are there that she will follow well in John’s footsteps.

But we still had to say goodbye to John. And tell him we loved him. When we did, we saw his glow and humility. A treasure to us, and we to him I suspect.

But then someone at our table uttered this statement: “I just did something good for another person and it makes me feel real good.”

Ahhh! An age-old statement, idea, thought. It is not about self but the ‘other’. That is the focus that heals, builds, and rewards us.

Theologies have this at their shared core. Thank God for that!

December 11, 2013

Arduous Journeys

The times I worked closely with youth I observed these facets:

1. Kids want to be heard; discussions engaged; ideas respected
2. Adults mostly discount youth conversation; admittedly their language often appears to be encoded, but actually it is only an idiom more up to date than our own!
3. Youth judgments of adults is quick and often off the mark
4. Young people teach me more than I teach them!

Having said this, here are some quotes that may spark some fresh thought.

First, this item:

“You spend years wishing your parents would get off your back, only  to realize they’re the only ones who ever really had your back.” ~Unknown

Sometimes several decades pass before we truly understand this truth. Often we have heaped unworthy blame on our parents!  I just hope our kids understand the why and how we decided on our actions directed toward them over the years. Not always understood at the time; but later do they get it?

Second, a sad reminder:

            “40% of homeless youth are LGBT

             The #1 reason they’re on the streets is family rejection.”

                                    ~Shared by Pridepac.org

It is hard for me to accept how harsh some parents are in viewing their gay offspring. The harshness speaks of their disappointment no doubt; but what it really says about the parents is their total misunderstanding of the issue. Gay kids are the way they are not by choice. They are not rebelling. They are not intentionally being difficult. They are not trying to get at their parents.  No. They are trying to make sense of a world that has become vastly over complicated because of social norms, self understanding, and sexual drives they simply do not understand.

Third, Nelson Mandela shared this statement with the world:

“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”

That goes triple for gay kids who are trying to understand their lives. Watch them grow. Watch their struggle and emergent maturity because of the struggles successfully survived. Help them. Give them a hand!

Fourth, Pridepac.org provides this thoughtful quote:

            “If Harry Potter taught us anything…

             It’s that no one deserves to live in the closet.”

As Harry broke out of the closet bedroom under the stairs of his uncle’s home, we watched Harry grow into maturity and effectiveness. Same goes for each of us as we break out of our cocoons. In so many ways we construct many cocoons during our life and each one needs to be shed for us to grow. We can do this alone; but with the help of family and friends we make progress much quicker.

Gay or straight our personal journeys are our own to live. They may seem impossible at times, but Anthony Robbins insists:

            “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.”

Words well remembered. We each have more strength and resilience than we give ourselves credit.

December 10, 2013

Cherishing

In the ‘60’s a song entitled Cherish was released. It was popular around the time of a famous murder in the Chicago suburbs – Valerie Percy, 21, daughter of Senate Candidate Chuck Percy.

The times were turbulent with anti-Viet Nam war sentiments building, the civil rights movement in high gear, and a struggle for the nation as it underwent major social upheaval. The culture was changing.

I was a supporter and campaigner for Percy and thus met and worked with the Percy daughters as they, too, became deeply involved with their father’s campaign. I doubt Valerie, or her twin sister Sharon knew my name, but most of us in the campaign adored the candidate and his family.

That September Sunday in 1966 was a shocker when we learned of Valerie’s brutal murder. I remember many campaign volunteers gathering to remember Valerie and to comfort one another in the aftermath of horror. It was one of many such public acts that would change America’s political landscape forever ~ JFK, RFK, Martin Luther King, Jr.

I recall the close of that year’s campaign season (many of us were working hard to elect several talented candidates to the Senate, House of Representatives and state offices, too. Volunteer groups worked silently and drove miles from one campaign stop to another. Those car rides were silent but for the radio, and often “Cherish” would sound. It brought back memories of our lost fellow campaigner – Valerie Percy. And it changed how we felt about the political process.

In case you have forgotten the lyrics of the song, here is the first verse:

Cherish is the word I use to describe
All the feeling that I have hiding here for you inside
You don't know how many times I've wished that I had told you
You don't know how many times I've wished that I could hold you
You don't know how many times I've wished that I could
Mold you into someone who could
Cherish me as much as I cherish you

                        ~By The Association

The melody and tempo became a theme song to our campaign routine then. It did for me; I don’t know for how many others it did. But the harmonies and sheer musicality of the song enchanted while the lyrics mesmerized.

A related anonymous quote came off the internet the other day; I share it with you here:

“Cherish every moment and every person in your life, because you never know when it will be the last time you see someone.”

We are reminded of this thought many times in life. Usually the reminder comes following the loss of a loved one or significant person in our life.  But then it is too late to share our feelings and love knowingly with the other person. They are gone.  Remember:

“Just remember, you can’t put your arms around a memory. So hug someone you love, today.”  ~Author Unknown

Don’t wait to express yourself. Time is awastin’!

Odd that I would have these thoughts at this time of year, in this season…… Whatever, they are valuable thoughts and feelings. May they speak to you this day.

December 9, 2013

Thought for the Day

In this season of gift giving, here’s a quote to think about this weekend:

            “There is no such thing as ‘The War on Christmas.’

             However, there is a war on the use of government assets and tax money to

 Promote one particular religion over others.

And besides, rampant consumerism killed the true meaning of Christmas decades ago.”

                                                ~user/Nero.Joe

As you rush around this season ticking off items on your holiday shopping list, think about the meaning of the Holiday. Make it your own. And don’t listen to the purists. They have their own ax to grind!

December 7, 2013

Entitlement Changes

I’m not referring to Social Security or Medicare. Both of these programs are trust funded for generations and we all pay into them consistently. We pay ‘premiums’ for future service, and take the benefits we earned accordingly. The trust fund is under the management of a board of directors consisting of 535 elected congressmen and senators. They are not all on the same page, nor do they make business decisions regarding the trust fund based on business logic; no they do so with political logic. Ahhh! Now there’s the rub!

I’m thinking of different entitlements: those that people believe they have a right to because of ideology, religious beliefs, or wealth protection and defense. They seem to think entitled to make others believe as they do, or at least live according to their tenets. Else they have been discriminated against. Not!

Here are some quotes to illustrate my thinking:

“No, Republicans – Harry Reid didn't suddenly turn into a bully. He and the Senate Democrats finally got sick and tired of being bullied for no reason other than vindictiveness.” ~Author Unknown

“Millions of Americans now have new healthcare, healthcare costs rising at the lowest rate in 50 years; DOW Industrial Average doubles since 2008; closes over 16,000; Deficits cut in half since 2008; unemployment rate below 2008 levels. This is the Obama Economy.”       ~Anonymous

“There’s something wrong with them…

-Passed health care reform

-Passed the stimulus plan

-Passed Wall Street reform

-Ended the Iraq War

-Drawdown on the Afghanistan War

-Eliminated Osama Bin Laden

-Toppled Moammar Gaddafi

-Saved the US auto industry

-Saved the US banking industry

-Saved the US economy from a depression

-Improved America’s image abroad

-Boosted fuel efficiency standards

-Dramatically cut oil imports

-Invested heavily in renewable energy technology

-Increased support for veterans

-Passed credit card reform

-Improved food safety system

-Improved school nutrition

-Expanded hate crimes protections

-Advanced women’s rights

-Got an agreement with Iran on nuclear weapons

-Got an agreement with Syria on Chemical weapons

-Avoided going to war

-Cut the deficit

And his presidency isn't over…but the republicans say it’s a ‘failed presidency”…
Aren't you tired of the republicans yet?”

                                                ~Anonymous

            “Let’s get real

             When President Obama took office in 2009 amidst economic freefall, Republicans resolved to obstruct everything in Washington and prevent any effort to fix the economy, hoping to turn all of that anxiety into victory against the Democrats in 2010 and President Obama in 2012.

Even today they continue to impede our nation’s economic recovery, hoping that Americans will blame President Obama in 2014 and 2016.

            Don’t let them get away with it. Vote them out in 2014!

                                                            ~www.occupydemocrats.com

“When Obama first took office and the DOW Jones was under 8000 points and gas hit $4 per gallon, that was all his fault and he should’ve been impeached.

But now that the DOW has hit 16,000 for the first time in history, literally doubled under his presidency, and gas prices have plummeted to $3.20 a gallon, when are republicans going to credit him with saving our economy?

            Don’t hold your breath.                     ~www.occupydemocrats.com

The entitlement I’m nailing is that of ideology, political gamesmanship, religious tomfoolery, that sort of thinking. Just because someone can create chaos is not a reason to actually do so.

No. The politicians in Washington DC should be working toward similar goals that benefit the nation and all of its citizens. They need to do this because it is their responsibility to do so. It is their constitutional obligation to do so. To impede in any way progress common to the nation and its well-being borders on treasonous behavior. Political party ought not to have this much sway in the commonwealth of our people!

            “Hey Republicans!

When the Obamacare website allows the worst terrorist attack in American history, starts two misguided, mismanaged, and unfunded wars, presides over an economic collapse, and shuts down the government, then it might approach your standards for ‘train wreck.’ Until then, why not try helping the American people instead of obstructing every effort to make things better?”

                                    ~RealAmericanLiberal.blogspot.com

Andy Borowitz provides us with some perspective with this simple thought:

“We may not like waiting online for health insurance, but we’ll risk death for a flat screen.”

We need to label things as they are. Abortion foes need to understand that they can and should live their lives as they believe; just don’t force others to live by your beliefs. Taking care of people less fortunate is not just a religious value; it is also a logical means of protecting people and society to survive for another time. It preserves our well spring of ideas, labor, and creativity!

The pendulum of public policy is constantly in motion. It is a natural phenomenon. Just don’t let it swing too far or do too much damage before we bring it back in another direction!

After all, I’m entitled to my ideas whether you agree with them or not! And I am entitled to a secure healthy present. Aren't you?

December 6, 2013